Chris Coleman ruled himself out of the running to succeed Jean Tigana on a permanent basis despite guiding Fulham to a crucial win over Newcastle United this afternoon.
The former Cottagers’ captain, who was placed in caretaker charge after the club dispensed with the services of Jean Tigana on Thursday, inspired the Whites to come from behind and register three critical points in their battle against relegation – with second half strikes from Sylvain Legwinski and Lee Clark.
Coleman told his post-match press conference:
“I am not interested in the job. It is a nice opportunity until the end of the season and it will be great experience, but I am not interested in doing it full-time. It is way too early in my career for me to be a full-time manager. I’ll give it my best shot until the end of the season and I’ll enjoy it, but that’s it.
I had a good chat with the players yesterday and they responded superbly well today. It was a bit tense and disheartening when we went 1-0 down but the response from the players and the fans was brilliant and we kept it at a high tempo. I shall go and call Jean Tigana now because we are still good friends and I have tremendous respect for him. I spoke to him before the game and he wished me all the best, and he has done a lot for this club, bringing them into the Premiership for the first time.”
